We've received your email address, and soon you will start getting exclusive offers and news from Wine Enthusiast. Now you'll be the first to hear about: Exclusive discount offers on wine accessories and storage Food and cocktail recipes Wine event invitations...and more! The 26 Best Boxed Wines Back in the 1980s and ’90s, the average boxed wine was one-dimensional headache water geared toward buzz-seekers, not wine lovers. Sadly, this dark history still hangs over the American wine landscape, spooking plenty of producers from embracing the box or Tetra Pak (Europeans are far less skittish about boxed wine). Still, what goes in these maligned vessels has come a long way. Grape farming and winemaking techniques are leagues better than 20 years ago, and with more wine drinkers than ever before, the competition to seduce your palate is fierce. Will you find a life-changing sip among this group? Maybe, but probably not. Still, when it comes to convenience, portability and pleasing drinkability, these are safe bets.

1. Bandit NV Cabernet Sauvignon (California) 2. Bandit NV Chardonnay (California) 3. Bandit NV Pinot Grigio (California) 4. Bandit Red Wine Blend (California) 5. Black Box 2013 Riesling (California) 6. Black Box 2013 Sauvignon Blanc (Central Valley, Chile) 7. Bota Box 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon (California) 8. Bota Box 2012 Pinot Grigio (California) 9. Bota Box 2012 Shiraz (California) 10. California Rabbit Chardonnay (California) 11. Fish Eye 2013 Pinot Grigio (South Eastern Australia) 12. French Rabbit 2011 Pinot Noir (France) 13. Fuori Strada Off Road 2012 Sangiovese (Tuscany) 14. Fuori Strada Off Road 2012 Grillo (Sicily) 15.Hardys 2012 Shiraz (Australia) 16. La Petite Frog Picpoul de Pinet (Languedoc) 17. Maipe Andean Culture Malbec (Mendoza) 18. Nuvino 2013 Sauvignon Blanc (Central Valley, Chile) 19. Nuvino 2013 Malbec (Mendoza) 20. Nuvino 2013 Chardonnay (Cape Winelands, South Africa)

21. Selektion Steinschaden Grüner Veltliner 22. Wineberry Bourgogne Blanc Baronne du Chatelard (Burgundy) 23. Wineberry 2013 Château Tassin Rosé (Bordeaux) 24. Wineberry 2011 Château Moulin de la Roquille (Bordeaux) 25. Wineberry 2012 Domaine Le Garrigon (Côtes du Rhône) 26. Wineworks White Wine (Virginia)We've said it before, and we'll say it again, there is a lot to love about boxed wine. It's convenient, cheap, and earth-friendly in a lot of ways the bottle just can't beat. It's unfortunate that there's still a stigma around bag-in-a-box wine. And as much as I try to convince friends and unwitting strangers, there's one trick that almost never fails to convince folks of the box's merits: don't tell them. Pour the wine before guests arrive (better yet, pour it into a decanter to seem extra fancy), have them taste it, and wait till glasses are nearly empty for the final reveal. Of course, this magic only works if the wine is actually decent, and that's where we can help.

We tried 9 different wines from Bota Box to see which were the best, and which just wouldn't work to convince anyone of the merits of skipping the bottle.best red wine with hot dogs For the whites, we sipped the Chardonnay, Moscato, Pinot Grigio and Riesling. what type of wine goes best with roast chickenIn our trial of the reds, we tasted through Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Old Vine Zinfandel, and the red blend "Redvolution". best bottle of wine to gift(They also have a Shiraz we weren't able to track down—if you've tried it, let us know how it is in the comments!) best red wine italian dinner

If you're looking for a Bota Box near you, their website conveniently allows you to pick a varietal and search for vendors in your area.best wine ebook Bota Box sells for around 5 bucks for the the 500mL and $18 for the 3 liter, which is the same volume as 4 regular bottles. red car winery ratingsI should note that this is about $7 less than Black Box large format, which makes a difference in some cases. Read on for the full details. The Riesling from Bota Box is a touch sweet, but its balance impressed us. With only 11.5% alcohol, this wine has a sweet, floral scent which comes through in the flavor: think white peaches and honey. If you're partial to dry wines, we felt the Black Box Sauvignon Blanc was worth the extra dollars in comparison with this box, but if you're open to a little sweetness—especially if you're serving it with slightly sweet dishes like pad thai, the Bota Box riesling is a solid budget option.

We found the other Bota Box whites be a little too rough on the edges, and a bit chemical tasting. The Pinot Grigio smelled of tart Starburst candy and had crisp lemon flavors. The Chardonnay's oaky vanilla scent and flavor were not overwhelming, letting green apple flavors shine through as well. But you'll need to serve these with food to smooth them out. We'll pass on the Moscato altogether—it was just too sweet, and had a strange artificial-seeming aftertaste. We far preferred the reds over the whites. Our favorite, the Old Vine Zinfandel had all the deep, inky cherry and savory black pepper that you'd want from a Zin. It also had good structure—lingering, mouth-watering acidity that ends with well-integrated tannins. At 14% alcohol, the wine was initially a bit hot—serve it with a beef stew or grilled skirt steak. Though most of our tasters picked the Zinfandel as the favorite, the Bota Box Merlot was a close second. The scent reminded us of blueberry jam and the flavor evoked black currant and cinnamon.